“The Art of Roughhousing is an impassioned defense of good old-fashioned horseplay. Why does it need defending? Because it is rapidly disappearing, or disparaged as unsafe or “too wild.” Through research, and real-life examples, this book makes the case that roughhousing will bring you and your children closer together; improve their cognitive and emotional intelligence; and promote physical health, strength, and flexibility.”

One of the parenting books that has a huge effect on me is Anthony DeBenedet and Lawrence Cohen’s Playful Parenting which I have written about here. So when an opportunity to review his new book co-written with Anthony DeBenedet arise, I was delighted.

Cohen mentions the importance of roughhousing in Playful Parenting and this book takes it further.

These days we hear a lot about “health and safety” and discourage our children from rough and tumble thinking it is “too wild” or “dangerous”. Cohen and DeBenedet mention that children’s play time is now adult organized, adult-refereed and adult-structured-activities. Thus they advocate that parents should get on the floor and take time to rough and tumble with the children.

DeBenedet and Cohen give reference to numerous studies and claim that rough playing promotes:

General Intelligence: Physical play releases a chemical called brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), which stimulates neuron growth in the brain’s cortex and hippocampus. Both areas are key to memory and advanced thinking (for skills like language and logic)

Emotional Intelligence: When you roughhouse with your kids, the authors argue, you’re practicing revving up and calming down, gauging how the other person reacts and feels. This helps children learn how to manage strong emotions.

Social skills: Good roughhousing means good-natured give and take in the action. Kids who are well-liked, the authors note, are those who engage in fun rough-and-tumble play, whereas kids who aren’t liked act aggressively.

Ethics and morality: Parents roughhousing with their kids model how someone bigger and stronger can hold back a bit while still playing. Therefore good roughhousing teaches kids cooperation and trust.

Physical fitness

Joy

In our house, up until now, my partner has been the one who roughhoused with our children. This book made me realize that I, as their mother, should also spend some time with my kids wrestling, jumping and pillow fighting. I like that the book has a guide with specific roughhousing moves.

Some moves are acrobatic, requiring focus and coordination, but Cohen and DeBenedet insist they’re all doable.

The authors also mention that roughhousing is not just for boys. They believe all children, boys and girls benefit from it. “So” they say, “make sure your son knows that he has a secure home base and that he can always climb into your arms for a cuddle or a good cry if his body or feelings get hurt. And make sure your daughter has a chance to test out strength and power, so she can step out into the world with confidence.”

Roughhousing is all about fostering closeness and bringing more joy and laughter to our lives so I highly recommend this book.

BUY IT!

You can purchase your own copy of The Art of Roughhousing through Amazon. The book sells for $14.95 and is eligible for free super saver shipping.

WIN IT!

For your own chance to win a copy of The Art of Roughhousing by Anthony DeBenedet and Larry Cohen from Quirk Books, enter by leaving a comment and using our new Rafflecopter system below.

Two winners will each receive a copy of The Art of Roughhousing. Contest is open to the United States, Canada, and Europe.

MANDATORY ENTRY:Tell us why you want to win this book! You must enter your name and email address in the Rafflecopter entry system for your entry to count, after leaving a comment on this blog post.

Leave a valid email address so we can contact you if you win. Email addresses in Rafflecopter are not made publicly visible. Please leave the same valid email address in your mandatory comment so we can verify entries.

This is a joint giveaway with Smiling like Sunshine and Natural Parents Network. You may enter at one site only, and we’ll be recording IP addresses to ensure that there are no duplicate entries. That said, please do visit and enjoy both sites!

BONUS ENTRIES:
See the Rafflecopter entry system for bonus entries to increase your chance of winning after completing the mandatory entry. All bonus entries are entered directly into Rafflecopter. Just click “Click for instructions” for guidance and then “I did this” — any comments or extra information such as URLs can be entered into the “Extra Info” box. Give it a try or visit the Rafflecopter tutorial, and email or leave a comment if you have any questions!

Disclosure: Our reviewer received a sample product for review purposes.
Amazon links are affiliate links.
We try to seek out only products we think you would find
relevant and useful to your life as a natural parent.
If we don’t like a product, we won’t be recommending it to you.
See our full disclosure policy here.

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Information About Our Reviewer: Isil is a Turkish mother living in England. She has a 4 year old daughter and an 18 month old son. She is passionate about natural childbirth, breastfeeding, babywearing, gentle discipline, green living, organic and local foods, sustainable living and informed healthcare decisions. When not blogging or breastfeeding, she can be found playing with playdough, crafting with her daughter or eating chocolate. Isil blogs at Smiling like Sunshine.

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I learned that early vestibular stimulation may be a building block for later athleticism. I want to win this book because it is something I have been putting a lot of thought into lately and I would like some inspiration and ideas for roughhousing that I can participate in with an impaired wrist.
Bigallfish (at) gmail (dot) com

This looks like a great book, and something I need. Often I find myself being very gentle and calm with the kids, but they love it when I break out the dance party and pillow fights too. That is definitely not my comfort zone, but I want to get better. Thanks for the chance to win!

Gosh. I’d love to win this book because I’ve learned that instead of separating the girls when they’re on the floor, I should get down on the floor with them and encourage them to learn and grow. This all seems so obvious now. I really have had my eyes opened!

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